History of The Lyceum….

Long recognized as a “center of culture” in Galveston, the Lyceum Hall – located at the corner of 24th and Winnie Street, was the original site for one of Texas’ oldest German Lutheran Churches – First Evangelical Lutheran Church. The church was founded in the fall of 1850 by two Lutheran pastors that were sent to Galveston as a result of early colonists who wrote to their Swiss seminary of Saint Christchona and complained of a “lack of spiritual leadership on the Island.” The Lyceum still sits on the church grounds and is adjacent to the present sanctuary – separated only by a beautifully-landscaped wrought iron-gated courtyard. The cornerstone of the Lyceum is still visible today and reads: “Knowledge is Power” which reminds us of the great scriptural truth “And the truth shall make you free.”

In 1984, First Lutheran Church was entered in to the National Register of Historical Places as “the oldest Lutheran parish of German origin in Texas with a continuous ministry.” There were seven families as charter members when the church was founded in 1850 by the Reverend G. Guebner, of the South Carolina Synod. The Reverend H. Wendt, the second pastor sent to Galveston by the Swiss seminary of Saint Christchona, established a day school. For the school and church, an old Lyceum building was purchased in 1855. Throughout the century, the church and its membership survived hurricanes (including the Great 1900 Storm – the worst natural disaster ever to strike the coastline of the United States), yellow fever epidemics, and world wars.

Indeed, you are sure to embrace its history as you tour this magnificent structure and envision your special event inside its historic walls.